Pastor Dave's Blog

Pastor Dave's Blog is a place for you to keep updated on Pastor Dave's current thoughts.

Are You the One in Ten?

Tue, 11/08/2011 - 12:27

Worship Sm

Ever been at the end of your rope? Back against the wall, can’t see your way out, hope lost in a fog of circumstances? Can you think back to that time? Maybe you are in one of those seasons right now. Maybe you feel undone, unsure, and unable. We can all relate in some way to the ten lepers in Luke Ch 17. They too thought they were lost in a sea of hopelessness and pain.
 
Jesus left Galilee to return to Jerusalem for the last time. He and the disciples travelled on the edge of Samaria. The disciples didn’t like this area, and they didn’t like the scarecrow-like silhouettes shuffling in the dirt a short distance from the road. Lepers. Ragged, doomed, pitiful lepers. From the first appearance of the disease they were cut off from society. Now their clothes hung in tatters, and their skin hung on their bones no better. They had no hope, no help, and no future but death. If a person got close, these poor creatures were required to cry out “unclean, unclean” as a continual pronouncement of judgment upon themselves.
 
But here, off the road, these 10 lepers were crying something else. In Luke 11:13 the lepers cry out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” The disciples had seen Jesus touch a leper to heal him before, but this time Jesus simply calls back to the 10 hopeless shadows, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” “Hmm, did he just say, “Go show yourselves to the priests?” That’s what we’re supposed to do after we are healed. But this Jesus just told us to go without being healed.” That must have caused quite a debate among these fringe dwellers. Some, maybe most, were Jews. At least one was a Samaritan. And these two groups didn’t get along at all. But somehow, probably after much debate, they all turned to begin a long, slow shuffle to the temple and the priests.
 
Then verse 14 says, “And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.” Now, right there is a big enough lesson to learn, that the Lord works in our lives as we obey Him. A good lesson for sure, but not the M.I.P. (most important point). To learn the most important point, we should first return to that time when we were down on our luck, out of options, without hope or help in this world. Maybe we cried out to God, and, as we went, things began to change. Maybe our life, previously hanging in tatters, began to come back together, much like these lepers’ bodies. Maybe it wasn’t quite that dramatic, but somehow things began to look up again.
 
Think back. Was our response like the one leper we meet in the next verse? Luke 11:15-16 says, “One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Oh, to be grateful for all that God has done for us! To run back to God and pour out our heart of thanksgiving to Him. To fall before Him in adoration for all the goodness He has poured into our lives. Do we remember doing that? Are we still doing it? Is thanksgiving continually on our lips for all that God has given us and done for us?
 
Or maybe, if we were really honest, maybe we’re a bit more like the other 9 lepers. We never hear from those 9 again, and neither does Jesus. They’ve gone their way. They were happy to receive their miraculous blessing from God, but too preoccupied with the blessing to take time to thank the one who blessed them. In Luke 11:17-18 Jesus says, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” Only the Samaritan, the foreigner, made a point of returning to give Jesus the thanksgiving he deserved. This one man knew that the giver of the gift was more important than the gift itself. The others remained too caught up in the gift to even return and thank the giver.
 
The saddest part of the story is the final verse. Jesus had wanted to say these words to all 10, but only one heard them. Luke 11:19, “And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” The more literal translation is, “Your faith has saved you.” You see, there was an eternal spiritual gift that Jesus wanted to give all 10 of these outcasts. It was the real gift, the ultimate gift. And while the other 9 enjoyed their physical, and temporal, blessing, only one received the ultimate eternal blessing Jesus really wanted to give.
 
Is thanksgiving more than just a polite response? Is it possible that remaining thankful to the Lord for all He’s given us is actually a key to a correct relationship with Him? The Bible says it absolutely is. Let’s be sure we are as thankful to the Lord for all He’s given us, as the One in Ten was.

 

David is HOME !!

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 14:05

 

David is HOME!!, along with his friend and our church's adopted son, Ben "the Hammer". Thank you so much for all your prayers and support. These guys have laid their lives down for the good of this country, and they come back as Heroes. We are so grateful for their sacrifice, and we are so grateful to each of you who have provided prayer covering for them. THANK YOU!! 

Ben is resting with his adopted 'West Coast' family at Brian & Laurie's, and David is resting with his wife in 29 Palms. They are resting, and decompressing. God has gone before them, He has been their shield and their strong tower. And God has brought them home safely. God used them both, in different ways, to strengthen and support the Marines, the Afghan police, and each other while they were in country. They both led Bible studies and counseled the Marines around them, David led a number of Sunday Chapels and taught the decompression classes for the entire Battalion. They were life-savers in every sense of the word, and many men are grateful to have these guys with them on the deployment. Twice David went in under-fire to rescue injured Marines, and many times he was the first line of life support & emergency medical care for his men in battle. This was a difficult deployment with substantial sacrifice. All paid some and some paid all. But God was with these men there, and He will be with them here at home.

We are so grateful to have them back with us! To God be all the honor, and glory, and praise. Thank you Lord, and thank you family and friends for carrying David & Ben in prayer each day of the battle.

Pastor Dave

 

 

The Grass IS Greener, but does that mean you should be there?

Wed, 09/28/2011 - 10:09

 In the history section of the Old Testament there is buried a literary gem called the book of Ruth. Long touted as a writing masterpiece, the book of Ruth includes all the makings of a great and timeless love story. You can read through it at lunch, but it can take a lifetime to grasp the depths of its lessons.

Most commonly, when reading the book, our focus is drawn to how God cares for two widows named Naomi and Ruth. We see God’s hand in Ruth’s faithfulness, in the widows returning to Israel, in Ruth’s godly romance, and in her eventual place in the bloodline of the Messiah. But, as you read it, be sure to slow down enough to consider the first character mentioned. His name is Elimelech, he’s first referred to simply as, “a man of Bethlehem.” Elimelech had a real “grass is greener” complex, and he gets credit for starting all the trouble that we see God work through for the rest of the book. His “grass is greener” decision sets the black back-drop on which the vibrant threads of the book are sewn.

The first verse of the book of Ruth starts out, “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land.” That is a very telling sentence. The days of the judges were very dark spiritual days for Israel. Twice in the book of judges the writer tries to describe the spiritual condition of the nation with these words, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Israel was spiritually drifting aimlessly, further and further away from God. Unfortunately, God had told the nation that if they turned away from Him that he would bring a famine to help turn them back to Him. They had turned away, and God had brought the famine. Bethlehem, whose name means “House of Bread”, was now an empty bread basket, and Elimelech had a decision to make.

Warren Weirsbe says this about trials in our lives, “When trouble comes into our lives, we can do one of three things: endure it, escape it, or enlist it.” Elimelech could have enlisted this trial for his good. He could have recognized his need to turn back to God and done so. God had put Elimelech and his family in Bethlehem. God had a plan and a purpose for them there, and Elimelech could have stayed and allowed God to use this trial for good in his family’s life. Or, at the very least, Elimelech could have just hunkered down and endured the trial. This may not be the best use of a trial, but Elimelech knew he was where God had put him, and so he could have just held on and trusted God to bring him through the difficulty.

Instead, Elimelech chose the escape hatch, the back door, the easy way out. Moab was not too far away, and there was no famine there. He knew the grass was greener there. And he was right, the grass was greener. But does that mean Elimelech should be there? Moab was an enemy of Israel, they had oppressed Israel and drawn them away from God and into idol worship. It was an adversarial environment with no support structure for Elimelech and his family. But, the grass was greener. So, Elimelech pulled up stakes, took his wife and two sons, and headed for greener pastures.

Ruth 1:2-3 says, “. . . They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons.” Now, I’m not saying death is the normal consequence for chasing the “grass is greener” syndrome, but I do believe this makes a pretty strong point. And the point isn’t finished being made yet. Ruth 1:5 says, and both [her sons] died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. Okay, now I think the point is made.

Guys, if we are in a place where God has put us, we need to be very careful about running off to where the grass is greener. It may very well be greener, but does that mean you should be there? If you are where God has put you (and that may need some reflection of its own), then you have three options when trials and difficulties come your way; First, you can enlist them. Meaning, you can look for how God wants to bring good out of this difficulty (see Rom 8:28). Next, you can just endure them. But, a word of warning here, just hunkering down and enduring trials tends to make us hard and bitter, so be careful. Or, you have that third option; you can try to escape your trials. You can jump ship, throw in the towel, hit the eject button, head for greener pastures.

But know this, very often, when we choose the escape route, we miss the good that God had planned to bring through that difficulty. We circumvent what God wanted to do for our good. When we do that, I assure you, God’s plan is not derailed, as the book of Ruth attests. God is still at work. His plan will still come to pass. But we miss out on the good that God wanted to bring, right through that trial, for us. So, if we are where God has put us, let’s beware of the “grass is greener” syndrome.

You can receive Pastor Dave’s teaching on the book of Ruth, one CD a week in the mail, at no cost. Just sign up here, on the home page.

Trouble-Makers in the Church

Thu, 09/15/2011 - 16:05

 Often, our spiritual enemy capitalizes on people being disgruntled in the church. They may be upset about any number of things, but almost always, when someone begins causing conflict in the church, they are definitely disgruntled about something, although they seldom admit what they are truly upset about. Instead, they turn their anger on the church, and specifically on the pastor, usually making unfounded accusations. Our spiritual enemy can easily turn their disgruntled-ness into division and dissention in the body of Christ.

Please, be careful listening to people who are disgruntled and upset. You will never hear both sides of the story, and listening to people who are sowing division and dissention into the church is a matter of high spiritual battle. Please protect yourself from this. If you do listen, or if you are caught off guard and have this divisive talk forced on you, please be careful not to blindly accept anything a disgruntled person says without first talking to a pastor about it.

Prov 18:17 says “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.”

Phil 1:27 clearly spells out conduct that is worthy of the gospel of Christ. We are to stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. And if we understand the importance of Christ’s prayer in John 17, then we will understand the eternal significance of our unity. Jesus put so much importance on our unity that He said it would be a sign to the world for them to believe in Him.

Here are some additional scriptures that pertain to this subject;

1Cor 1:10 – I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

Rom 16:17-18 – I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

Titus 3:10-11 - 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

Prov 26:20-21 - 20 For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. 21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

Prov 6:16-19 - 16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

2 Timothy 2:23–26 (NLT) — 23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

1 Timothy 6:20–21 (NLT) — 20 . . . Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. 21 Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness . . .

Acts 20:29–30 (NLT) — 29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30 Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.

Please protect yourself in this area. If you are hearing from those who are disgruntled over something, please call your pastor and talk openly and honestly about what you have heard.

Division and dissention that starts with gossip and slander brings destruction into the body of Christ. That’s all it does – nothing else. May we be strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long-suffering with joy (Col 1:11).

From my heart,

 Pastor Dave

God Works Behind The Scenes

Wed, 07/27/2011 - 10:07

At the end of the Apostle Paul’s third missionary journey in Acts 21-23, Paul faces a very strange and difficult time. He had been told over and over “Do not go to Jerusalem” and since the moment he arrived, it has been a total train wreck. Paul first gave the Jerusalem church a large offering, but instead of appreciation they immediately started accusing him of wrong-doing. So Paul tries to make peace by joining a Jewish ritual, but a mob tries to kill him in the process, and the Roman soldiers have to save him from his own people. He then asks to speak to them one last time, which goes terribly bad, and the Roman Commander has to save him again. Then the Roman Commander himself decides to have Paul tortured, from which he barely escapes. Next, he is put in front of the Jewish ruling council, which goes so bad that the Roman Commander throws him in prison just to keep him safe.

Paul’s time in Jerusalem has been a total train wreck of a ministry operation. But there is a critical message in these difficult chapters for us; In the midst of failure after failure, with everything going as wrong as it possibly can, even then, God is at work behind the scenes. If you have given your life to God today, then he is at work behind the scenes, whether it looks like it or not.

After Paul’s string of failures, he is finally carried away by the Roman soldiers and thrown into prison. Alone and in the dark, Paul is physically, emotionally, and spiritually - spent, finished, done. Paul’s love for the Jewish people and his love for Jerusalem, lay in ashes at his feet. Right now Paul needs some serious encouragement. So the Lord himself, who has been at work behind the scenes the entire time, personally delivers the encouragement Paul needs. Acts 23:11 says; “The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “take courage . . . (esv).” The Lord Jesus stood by Paul’s side. That alone makes all the difference in the world. Paul was in the fire, and Jesus was there with him. just like the 3 Hebrew boys thrown into the fiery furnace in Daniel Ch 3. The king saw a fourth, divine figure, in the fire with them and the boys walked out not even smelling like smoke. This is the same Lord, in a similar fire with Paul, and the first thing Jesus says is; “Take courage.” I am with you, take courage.

Then Jesus tells Paul; Your ministry is not finished yet. Continuing in Acts 23:11, the Lord says; “ . . . for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” Jesus is confirming Paul’s ministry efforts here in Jerusalem. He is letting Paul know; This has all been part of the plan. It doesn’t seem like a very good part, but it has been part of God’s plan. And God is not finished with Paul yet. God is sending Paul to Rome. At this point Paul knows - the Lord is with him and he is at work behind the scenes, right in the midst of all these difficulties. This confidence absolutely carried Paul on a very long and difficult journey to Rome. Through it all Paul knew he was going to make it there, because the Lord was with him, and Paul was headed right where God wanted him to go.

Isaiah 43:1–3 says;  . . . “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . . (esv).”

If you have given your life to Jesus Christ today, then he has redeemed you and called you by name. He is with you, and he is at work, maybe behind the scenes. But he has promised to finish the good work that he has started in you (Phil 1:6). Trust him. Meet him, right in the middle of the flood, right in the fire, right in the midst of uncertainty . . . he is there - look for him! All of Paul’s efforts in Jerusalem had failed miserably, but in Acts 23:11 the Lord confirms that he was still right in the middle of God’s will for his life. God was still at work, right on schedule, right in the midst of all those train wreck failures. Isn’t that good news for those of us who are following the Lord in the midst of our own failures? Take courage. God is at work, behind the scenes. The only question is: Will we trust him, and follow him, no matter what? If we will, then we will find that God was at work all along, behind the scenes.